CHICAGO (News Nation) — Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the list of hand sanitizers consumers should avoid to include products that may be subpotent, in addition to hand sanitizers that are or may be contaminated with methanol.
Earlier this week, the FDA reiterated their warning about the potentially dangerous hand sanitizers, and announced they were taking action to add certain products to import alert to stop them from legally entering U.S. markets.
The FDA is regularly updating its do-not-use list of hand sanitizers. They are also reminding consumers that “no drugs, including hand sanitizers, are approved to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”
Alcohol-based hand sanitizer is the next best method for cleaning hands after the proper method for washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC recommends using a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent ethanol, also referred to as ethyl alchohol.